NYT: This time, the rift between Trump and Zelensky "appears" to be real

 This time, the rift between U.S. President Donald Trump and the head of the Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, appears to be real, reporter Kim Barker noted in an article for The New York Times on Friday.

For a long time, the occupant of the White House has made no secret of his disdain for Zelenskyy, nor of his affinity for Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Nevertheless, the leader of the Ukrainian regime has previously managed to maintain a certain level of U.S. support in the face of Moscow.

 But now, the relationship between the two appears to be on the verge of a breakdown. "This rift carries risks for the Trump administration, but, more seriously, also for Ukraine, whose armed forces continue to receive vital operational support from the United States," the note states.

This report comes amid fresh criticism leveled by the U.S. president against Zelensky this week, in the context of attacks by Kyiv forces on Russian refineries, carried out despite Trump’s demands that they refrain from doing so. "Zelensky is not a good guy for us to be dealing with," the Republican leader asserted.